On glass with sun tint

**Variable** · 05-01-12, 08:25 PM

Someone has put the wind up me about using a V/UHF transmit antenna inside a 2009 VE commode full of airbags, so can anyone advise how to tell if the sun tint on the windows is metallic and therefore might attenuate on glass antenna coupling please?

Thanks.

**lynt123** · 06-01-12, 06:06 AM

I recommend direct connection to the glass if possible this means trimming the tint. If the tint is factory installed a quick call to a dealership should let you know. You can also check out a auto wrecker they have damaged cars with broke windsheilds you can look at or if you are discrete you can test. Personally I prefer a hard mount over any type of antenna.

**porkop** · 06-01-12, 09:57 AM

Glass mount antennas are a bad compromise at best. I agree with lynt123 that a hard wired antenna is the way to go!

**porkchops** · 06-01-12, 10:19 AM

Be adventurous - drill a hole in the middle of the roof

**skerric** · 06-01-12, 10:57 AM

Most Commodores and Falcons and the like will actually have (if its a sedan) a space on the back window designed for on-glass antennas.

I have had both a Toyota Camry Sportivo and Falcon G6E in the past six months which have had space for an RFI on glass antenna (including counter-poise). The Camry was on the passenger side and the Falcon in the middle, both on the rear window.

I've put a Bird analyser across both and they perform OK, not as good as hardwired antenna of course, but acceptable.

**SS Dave** · 06-01-12, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by Variable

Someone has put the wind up me about using a V/UHF transmit antenna inside a 2009 VE commode full of airbags, so can anyone advise how to tell if the sun tint on the windows is metallic and therefore might attenuate on glass antenna coupling please?

Thanks.

Someone has put the wind up me about using a V/UHF transmit antenna inside a 2009 VE commode full of airbags

What a load of cr#p have had staff cause air bag codes power to a senor ground to air bag wires I think a lot of people fuss over nothing it's easier to upset a VE Holden climate ECU than a SRS system.

I have been working with auto electrics for over 30 years and have not heard of a air bag been set off by RF or incorrect wiring.

SS Dave

**eeprommemory** · 07-01-12, 01:16 AM

every car i get gets a hole drilled in the roof in the center just above the interior light (if it has one).
those glass mount antennas are crap the loss is incredible.
in the end it's just a car it's going to end up at the scrap metal yard someday.

**vk3rx** · 07-01-12, 09:42 AM

I've read that the tinting in auto glass is often tiny brass particles, which of course can upset on-glass antenna types. Mobile phone antennas tend to work fine, but that is probably more to do with the number and sensitivity of base stations i.e. designed to cater for hand held phones.

You might consider one of these instead:

**lynt123** · 08-01-12, 03:27 PM

Actually the higher the freq the more efficiant the coupling. Factory tinting is done in several ways , some use microscopic plastic particles, some use a process very similar to a dye in the plastic layer between the layers of glass, others use a fused plastic membrane on the glass. After matket tinting usually uses a plastic sheet just "glued' to the glass.

A signal density meter (not a s meter like on some radios) will show that at VHF freq the onglass has a general efficiancy of about 30%. UHF is about 50% and 800/900 is near80%. A hard mount will be near 100%. I wont bother discussing line loss or connector losses or missmatched radiator leanths etc.

BTW Pumping more power into an onglass actually makes it perform worse.

**jok11n** · 08-01-12, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by Variable

Someone has put the wind up me about using a V/UHF transmit antenna inside a 2009 VE commode full of airbags, so can anyone advise how to tell if the sun tint on the windows is metallic and therefore might attenuate on glass antenna coupling please?

Thanks.

What do they do with those unmarked police cars that have antennas mounted inside through the rear parcel shelf, do they remove all the airbags first?

good luck trying to set off an airbag using a radio signal, not possible, there are multiple sensors which need to trigger to set off any airbag